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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION MEDIA CONFERENCE

March 21, 2018

Terry Stotts

New York, New York

Q. My question is about confidence. How confident is your team after winning 13 straight games?
TERRY STOTTS: I think we gained a lot of confidence in the last month. We've beaten some really good teams. We've been playing some really good basketball. And even though we lost last night to Houston, I think our confidence showed that we played a very good game against the best team in the league.

I'm a firm believer that confidence, no matter what the sport or anything in life, for that matter, is very important for success.

Q. CJ [McCollum] told us that in the remaining 11 games, that you guys want to improve on your late-game execution. Would you agree with that, given last night's loss, or do you think there is any other aspect of the game?
TERRY STOTTS: Well, I think there's always room to improve. But late-game execution is a key in the NBA. So many games come down to the last minute or two. Playoff basketball is about execution, and playoff basketball is execution throughout the game as well as late game.

I think we've really improved over the season. We lost some games early in the year that we didn't finish off late. And I think our attention to detail at the defensive end and our confidence at the offensive end has improved and grown throughout the season. We've won a couple close games during our win streak that maybe we wouldn't have won earlier in the season.

Q. How would you describe the team's overall mindset right now?
TERRY STOTTS: I think we were playing very good basketball. The thing in the win streak, I think what really helped us was that we beat some very good teams. We beat Golden State twice. We beat some other playoff-contending teams like Minnesota and Utah and Cleveland. So we've gained some momentum because of how we're playing. I think our offense has been clicking.

The motivation has always been just win the next game, with the standings in the Western Conference so tight that every game matters. And I think one of the things we did well was just worry about the next game, not look at the standings, not look at who we have next, and that worked for us.

Q. I've been following your career since your Dallas days. So I just wanted ask you how does it feel hearing stuff like your GM [Neil Olshey] complimenting [your performance] despite some ups and downs this season? He's been high on you.
TERRY STOTTS: Well, I'm like most people, when your boss says something good about you, that's a good thing. Neil and I have a good relationship. We've worked well together for the last five and a half years. He's done a tremendous job of putting together a competitive roster every year and making smart draft picks.

I think our relationship really complements each other, what he does well and his perspective and mine. Like I said, when your boss compliments you, I think everybody appreciates that, and hopefully we've got -- as far as the end of the season, I think we're in a good place right now moving forward, and we've just got to finish strong and win as many as we can.

Q. You had great second halves the last couple of years. How do you get your team peaking at this time of the year, and what do you have to add to make some noise in the playoffs and win a couple of rounds?
TERRY STOTTS: Well, I really think Damian Lillard is the main reason why we've been so strong in the second half of the season three years in a row. I think his leadership, his determination, his will leads the team in a good direction. Like most great players, he makes his teammates better. So it's no coincidence, for example, last year after the All-Star break, Damian averaged, I think, over 30 and carried us into the playoffs. He's doing the same thing now.

As far as the playoffs, I don't like getting ahead of ourselves, but playoff basketball is intense, it's every possession. The highs and lows of wins and losses, preparing for each game, being locked in, and that's the exciting thing.

At this point I think it's a little early to say what we need to do in the playoffs to make some noise other than just you need to be playing good basketball and be really connected as a team.

Q. Here in Puerto Rico we have a special interest in Moe Harkless and Shabazz Napier. They're both of Puerto Rican descent. Can you talk about what they bring to your team and how they've developed under your tenure, and would you recommend them having the FIBA experience to continue to develop their game?
TERRY STOTTS: Well, both Moe and Shabazz have been a big part of our success so far. Moe got off to a slow start at the start of the season. He started the first 18 games, but he's come back really strong. He's back in the starting lineup.

If you watched the game last night, he had an outstanding game again. So he's been on a good roll. He's very versatile. He can hurt mismatches inside. He's shooting the three-point shot very well, and he can defend multiple positions. So he's been very instrumental in our success.

Shabazz is having the best year of his career. He's added scoring off the bench. He complements Damian and CJ out there. Of the six or seven games that Damian missed because of injury, Shabazz played very well. We ended up going either 4-2, or 5-2 over those games, and Shabazz was a big part of that. You look at, we beat Oklahoma City and we beat San Antonio without Damian, and Shabazz was very important in those games.

As far as the international experience, I think it's really up to each player to decide what's best for them. I'm a big fan of international basketball. I enjoy watching the World Championships and the Olympics and seeing different players and different coaches and the different styles of basketball.

But at this level, I think it's really important that the player decide what is best for him, his health, what's important to him. I think representing your country is a great experience, and I recommend that. But I would never tell somebody to do something that they did not feel comfortable doing.

Q. What do you think about the chance of the team to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy?
TERRY STOTTS: Well, to win a championship, you have to play sustained, good basketball for two months. The thing about when we were in Dallas and we won a championship, our goal was to win the first series. Then our goal was to win the second series.

At the end of the day, when you win a championship, it's about staying in the moment and doing what you have to do each step of the way. Then at the end of the day, you end up having a trophy.

So I think that we've shown that we're a very competitive team. I think that we could win any series that we're up against, but we have to play good basketball. Different opponents pose different problems. Each series is different, and you have to go into each new series with a mindset that you're going to play well and compete, but understand you're going to have some different challenges.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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